Schools face pressure to take harder line on discipline: closeup of students hand holding red pen with class in desks in background

Schools face pressure to take harder line on discipline

As kids' behavior reaches crisis points after the stress and isolation of pandemic shutdowns, many schools are facing pressure from critics to rethink their approaches to discipline — including policies intended to reduce suspensions and expulsions.

school police debate: school security guard looks out over cafeteria full of students

A Wisconsin district debates the effects of terminating school police

Madison is one of about 49 public school districts nationwide that, according to Education Week, have trimmed or eliminated school policing programs since 2020. While some districts that removed police officers have reported largely positive results, in Madison, some students, parents and educators are considering what they believe they’ve lost.

Ticketing students: Three teen boys fighting in school corridor

Ticketing misbehaving students is counter-productive, critics of that practice argue

Students can be ticketed by school resource officers or by local police departments to whom school staff members refer students viewed as disruptive. From misdemeanor offenses to such potential felony offenses as gun possession or assault, students can be cited under local ordinances. There is no centralized database of how many school districts employ that kind of discipline.

Schedule statistics data, analytical indicator sci-fi background

Data Collection, Sharing Crucial in Developing School-justice Partnerships

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges released a bulletin last October that details the importance of data in developing effective school-justice partnerships. In the report, NCJFCJ laments that “poor data collection and management strategies” often hamper the effectiveness of school-justice partnerships aimed at disrupting the school-to-prison-pipeline.

How SRO Programs Can Actually Divert Youth from Pipeline

Like it or not, cops in schools are here to stay. The question is: How do we do it right? An important principle for doing it right is driven by this key question: How can we help make sure that law enforcement actually works to keep youth in school and out of justice involvement?